Dozens of cities in Brazil cancel Carnaval

At least 25 cities in Brazil’s state of Rio Grande do Sul cancelled carnaval celebrations, which were scheduled to begin next week, as a sign of respect and mourning for the victims of the fire in the Kiss nightclub in Santa María.

Meanwhile, in Santa María all carnaval festivities were cancelled the day of the tragedy by Mayor Cezar Schirmer, who decreed 30 days of mourning. Most of the fire’s victims were students in the college town. In Brazil, Carnaval is scheduled for February 8th thru 12th.

Authorities are investigating whether a flare lit by the musical group performing that night was the cause of the deadly fire; it’s also unclear whether the club had all operating licenses up to date and security measures in place as negligence may have contributed to the devastating death toll.